The Record-Breaking Professional

“I knew I wanted an international career. After graduating in Law, London became my second home, but now I have my own office in Milan.” Cecilia Gozzoli, a lawyer from Modena, Class of 1980, is a professional record breaker. After graduating from Bocconi University in 2003 and from law school in 2005, she earned a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics, becoming one of the youngest Italian attorneys to work in the UK. She officially listed on the Solicitors’ Register in 2009. A prestigious title, considering that in the English legal system a solicitor is an attorney who provides legal advice, prepares documents and cases and directly represents clients, including companies, in court. Gozzoli was also the first Italian to be admitted to the City of London Solicitors’ Company, an exclusive London society founded in 1908. 

During her years in London, Gozzoli worked for the Italian Desk of Dewey & LeBoeuf, then for Simmons & Simmons, and finally for Deutsche Bank. She specialized in financial products, banking and corporate law until setting up her own firm, Cecilia Gozzoli Solicitors, in the heart of the City.

“Today, I concentrate on company law,” she says. “Mostly I deal with contracts for Italian companies that want to invest in the UK or vice versa.” It’s a job that involves building bridges between countries by untangling rules and bureaucracy. Gozzoli stresses that the work requires high consistency and precision. “You have to study a great deal and keep up to date with changing regulations,” she adds. 

But being prepared is also a way of overcoming possible discrimination. Gozzoli says: “Being competent from a technical standpoint was what allowed me to enter male-dominated environments fairly easily.  I often found myself leading teams, but I was one of the few women, or I was younger than my colleagues. I studied more than anyone else and that made all the difference in the long run.” 

As an expert in cross-border transactions between Italy and the UK, with a focus on start-ups and technology, Cecilia Gozzoli explains that she relies on expertise, professionalism, and respect. “Today we are a structured company with several employees, but we have a flexible organization. I work from Italy, London, or anywhere in the world, the important thing is how, not where.” What are her next goals? “To become a notary in the UK, but it will take time, at least two years. But I think I can broaden my skills.”